I did it! I bought cous cous at the gas station and it was delicious. But how did I discover the wonders of the Israeli gas station in the first place? It all started on a a Friday afternoon.
That fateful Friday, I forgot to buy couscous, an Israeli staple. Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue, but the clock just struck 3 PM on a Friday, before the start of Shabbat. Where we live, stores lock their doors and last minute shopping options are limited on Friday afternoon. So if you forgot something and it is 3:30 PM, you are generally out of luck or need to go to the gas station.
Now I know American gas stations and I am ladled with assumptions about gas station food. There was a time when I thought that gas stations stocked the most amazing food (I was decades younger with a small weekly allowance and lived. close to 7-11.) Candy? Check. Packaged baked goods? Check. Chips and other highly processed food? Check. Basically a kid paradise if you throw in a slushie.
But an Israeli gas station is like no other. From the outside it appears equal (if you overlook the restaurant attached). Gas pumps, parking lots, busy people gassing up to drive to their next stop in life. But the inside is another story. The aisles were loaded with small finds including fresh vegetables, baked goods and tempting coffee. But cous cous? On that particular Friday, I was on a mission and would settle for nothing else but cous cous. The gas station did not disappoint. I found it and there were even options! Dinner was saved. Now mac and cheese on the other hand, I would need to shop elsewhere.
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